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Treating mice
Mice are small rodents who can be very active, generally at night and around dawn and dusk. They are a prey species and therefore prefer to stay close to cover.They are pumped to build nests to help them regulate their body temperature and are sensitive to light and noise. They are very quick to move and need to be handled carefully to reduce the risk of harming it. Even the tiniest scratch can kill a mouse very quickly.Generally, mice can live for about three years. Caring for a mouse can be very rewarding. Mice need: * Constant access to clean drinking water. Mice can die if they are deprived of water for even short periods of time. * Water in bottles with metal sipper tubes, checked daily for leaks and/or blockages. * Their water changed regularly and the bottle and nozzle properly cleaned to avoid contamination. * A good quality balanced diet to prevent nutritional related problems. It is essential that mice are provided with Magnesium, Vitamin A, and Choline in their diet. It is also essential that folic acid is present in the diet of growing and reproducing mice. Grapes/raisins, rhubarb and walnuts are poisonous to mice, and lettuce can cause them to have diarrhoea. * Their diet occasionally supplementing with small amounts of suitable fresh fruit and vegetables, as part of their daily allowance and not in addition. Mice are opportunistic omnivores and will eat both plant and animal based food. Wild mice will eat a wide variety of seeds, grains, and other plant material as well as invertebrates, small vertebrates and carrion. * Portions of their daily food allowance scattered around the cage to encourage foraging behaviour. Wild mice find food by foraging and spend a large proportion of their waking activity time visiting familiar feed sites within their territory. * To be allowed to engage in coprophagic behaviour. Mice are coprophagic rodents. This means that they eat their faeces to enable them to absorb essential nutrients such as vitamin B12 and folic acid. They eat cecal faeces from the floor of their cage. Mice need: ** Appropriate nesting material. They’re highly motivated nest builders, using nesting material to help body temperature regulation. Don't give mice nesting materials that separate into thin strands, e.g. cotton wool or similar 'fluffy' bedding products. They pose a serious risk to their health and welfare, due to the possibility of entanglement or ingestion. RSPCA Nesting Material for Mice Factsheet (PDF 88.7KB). ** Suitable bedding material. Mice need bedding material to dig/absorb moisture from urine/faeces. RSPCA Bedding Material For Mice Factsheet (PDF 90KB). ** Suitable places to hide. Mice are a prey species; they’re highly motivated to stay near cover. RSPCA Shelters for Mice Factsheet (PDF 176KB). ** A comfortable/dry/draught-free/clean home-cage in a quiet place to rest undisturbed. ** A safe, secure, hazard-free environment. ** An appropriate home-cage. Wild mice can have very large territories. Mice need sufficient space to display natural behaviours and give control/choice over their environment. Mice can squeeze through very small spaces and escape. ** A clean cage with dry bedding/nesting material. Balance good health with avoiding excessive disturbance/stress when cleaning. ** Objects to be used as toilet areas or easily marked, allowing communication using odours, easily cleaned as part of the regular cage cleaning routine. Mice scent-mark with odour patterns to identify territory and communicate with others. Patterns of urine/secretions from other body glands are used to identify individuals/groups/social status. ** Natural day light (not direct sunlight) where they are housed. Direct/bright lights should be avoided near the home-cage/during handling/playing. ** A home-cage away from high pitched sounds/ultrasound/sudden bursts of noise, which they’re sensitive to. Mice can hear a broad frequency range. RSPCA Excessive Noise Factsheet (PDF 89.9KB). ** The temperature/humidity of anywhere they’re housed to be appropriate. Mice are very sensitive to the effects of heat. RSPCA Temperature and Humidity Factsheet (PDF 89.4KB). ** Cages with good ventilation/air circulation without being draughty. Poor ventilation/ high humidity can cause health problems. ** Their cages checking morning and evening to ensure their water bottle nozzle hasn’t become blocked/wedged open and the cage flooded. Mice can build nests against the cage sides and push bedding into water bottle’s nozzles. ** Enrichment. Running wheels can be provided but shouldn’t be the only enrichment. Wheels must be a solid structure and axel-free for their safety I am really gratefull for the rspca for helping me with this